Foreign companies illegally involved in excavations or restoration of historical monuments in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will be blacklisted, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev told reporters on Tuesday.

The minister noted that there are some disquieting facts on the matter.

“Excavations which are being carried out in the occupied Azerbaijani territories to reanalyze historical monuments are aimed at falsifying history,” said Garayev expressing regret over the involvement of some foreign scientists in this work.

Azerbaijan has a principled position regarding the matter, said the minister adding: “Foreign companies illegally involved in excavation or restoration work in the occupied Azerbaijani territories will be blacklisted, and the cooperation with these companies will be suspended.”

Garayev recalled that the statements recently made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Foreign Ministry on the matter. “We [Ministry of Culture and Tourism] have also expressed our concern at the level of UNESCO and ISESCO,” he added.